So She Dances?
by MzShellSan
Summary: This is a re-write of Mai's a HipHop Pro. Mai's looking tireder then usual and the gang becomes worried. They decide to investigate what was going on with their favourite brunette. They are very surprised with what they find.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So this is a new year and so I'm going to try and do things differently. Every day for the next week I will be posting re-writes. Those stories, plus TCOL and the ones I work on with Naruisawesome will be my main focus. I'm going to try and keep to at least one update a week and I am resolved to do better. So feel free to send me angry messages from time to time – not rude per say and not hate- just messages reminding me to get off of my ass. Now this particular story was written a far while ago. It is not the same. The plot line and characters are around to only things that have been kept. The entire story is being edited and re-written into something better. One thing that remains the same however are the warnings of vulgar language. Due to the nature of the story there will be some swearing. If this is a problem just move your mouse up to the back arrow. Thankyou. Now for the rest of you. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all rights go to the respective owners**

**Counter: Day 3/7**

It was an ordinary day as Mai made her way down the street. Since SPR didn't have any current cases, she had spent the morning taking all her normal classes. When she finally reached the office she grinned. 'Only 3 minutes late today. '_That must be a record'_ she thought grinning slightly as if it were a major accomplishment.

"You're late. Tea" Naru's cold voice stated dragging her out of her thoughts.

Mai rolled her eyes at the younger boss' words. Of course that's the first thing he says to her when she gets there. So typical.

"Only by a few minutes" she grumbled.

Naru smirked, "Does that make you _on time_?" he asked.

Sighing Mai shook her head and made her way into the kitchenette. "Stupid narcissistic jerk" she muttered as she made some tea for said person and Lin, as well as herself.

As she worked she tried to calculate how much time she'd have to practise before she made her way home that night. 'Not much time' she thought, slightly irritated. Being Mai, she wasn't paying any proper attention as she went through the normal motions and accidentally poured from too high up.

She hissed as the hot water hit her skin. At the same time, Naru made his way into the kitchenette, wondering what was taking Mai so long.

Looking over at Mai running her hand under cold water he shook his head. "What did you do this time idiot?" Naru asked, trying to cover up how worried he really was.

Giving him a sheepish look Mai gave him a small smile. "I may have not been paying enough attention when I was making tea…" she trailed off before motioning over to the bench. "Yours is done though. I'll clean up after.

He shook his head and grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink. "If I let you try and dress that burn you'll probably make it worse. Especially since you look even worse than usual. What have you been doing anyway? It looks like you're completely worn out." He commented as he began to bandage it.

Mai bit her lip nervously. "I-ah I've just had a bit more homework to complete than usual. Getting to bed a little later and all of that" she explained.

Naru gave her a disbelieving look but let it go for now as he pressed some ice onto the burn, possibly harder than necessary. "You might want to consider getting more sleep then. You hardly look attractive like this."

The brunette swung around at his words as he walked off with his tea. "Jerk!" She shouted angrily before sighing. He was probably right, she would admit that much to herself. She'd never say it aloud but he couldn't read her mind. At least she hoped not. Although…

Shaking silly thoughts like that from her mind, she began to clean up the mess she'd made being careful of her injured hand as she went.

Finishing quickly, she made sure Lin's tea was still warm and quickly made her way to his office. She knocked before walking in and placing it on the desk.

Lin glanced up at her and gave a nod in thanks before going back to work. Mai grinned, happy that he had acknowledged her before leaving the room and shutting the door.

Sitting down at her desk, she groaned at the huge stack of paperwork she needed to file and complete. Rolling her eyes she decided that if she wanted to get home at a halfway decent time then she had better get started.

Somewhere at around half an hour after she'd started the rest of the team had dropped in and slowed her working pace considerably – what with Ayako fussing over her injury and Bou-san being well… Bou-san.

It took her around two hours before she was done. The clock hanging on the wall clearly read six o'clock. Making quick work of packing up her things she made her way to Naru's office.

The others watched her carefully as she made her way towards the office, slightly disappointed that she didn't want to stick around and mess with them for a while.

Knocking on Naru's door, Mai entered and closed the door behind her carefully.

Naru spared her a glance before looking back down again. "Yes?" He asked.

"I've finished all my work for today."

He nodded, "Alright, feel free to leave when you're ready."

The younger began to make her way to the door when she was stopped by Naru once more. "Mai. Remember what I said about getting some more rest. Your marks are going to drop even more than they already are if you don't." He stated.

Turning around Mai looked over at him. "I told you. I'm getting more homework then usual lately." She defended.

Naru rolled his eyes. "You're a terrible liar. I don't particularly care what you do in your spare time." Lie. "You can do whatever as long as it doesn't affect your working ability." Another lie. "And before you go. Tea."

Nodding wordlessly Mai made her way out of his office.

"Do any of you want tea as well before Iii leave?" Mai inquired from in the kitchenette.

Multiple choruses of yes's made their way out of the sitting area. Laughing slightly, the brunette made quick work of the tea, placing them on a tray and carrying them out. Grabbing Naru's she walked back into his office and placed it on his desk before turning and leaving for the last time that day.

Grabbing her things, Mai made her way out of the office, waving to the others as she went.

"See ya!" She called out, grinning at them.

**Me: So there you have it. I've lengthened it as well so the story is longer but it is still pretty short over all. Even so I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Mai: Thanks for reading**

**Naru: Read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Shellsan: As you can see my plans for updating as often as possible have failed**

**Mai: Shellsan really did try! Things got so busy back at school and much harder**

**Naru: She's making excuses again -.-**

**Shellsan: Gomen, gomen. Please accept this chapter as an apology. I don't own ghost hunt!**

As the door closed behind her Mai let out a sigh of a relief. They hadn't noticed anything off about her. The last thing she needed right now was them asking her unwanted questions. After all, this wasn't something she was particularly proud of, but it was a necessity none the less.

Instead of walking towards her apartment she turned and walked in the other direction. Last she'd checked there was a clearing somewhere around here…

Her thoughts drifted as she scanned the park for a sign of her normal spot. When she finally caught sight of it she'd run through several entirely unneeded scenarios of _if_ SPR found out about her secret. None of them ended well.

With a resigned sigh, she pushed the leaves apart and walked through the very short amount of bush to a small clearing. It was around the size of a dance room and there was never anyone around.

Mai just figured no one had ever found it and had begun to use it to practice her dancing.

Looking around she checked to make sure that no-one was around before pulling her shirt off and undoing her skirt. The brunette was stupid, but definitely not stupid enough to be naked in an area like this.

Underneath what she's been wearing was an army style crop top styled-short jacket with matching white crop top beneath it, along with a black skirt, with bummers of course. It had only been a few minutes, not even Mai could get stupid in that amount of time.

Pulling out her IPod she set it up with a wireless speaker and began to play "Earthquake" by Labyrinth, quickly losing herself in the beat and dancing happily. She'd already set an alarm beforehand so she knew that she'd know when she had to leave. After all, being fashionably late was something she only did for work.

~WiTh~EvErYoNe~ElSe~

When the click of the door closing resounded around the room everyone immediately turned to each other looking unnaturally serious.

"Does anyone have any ideas as to what's up with Mai? It looked like she was making an incredible effort to keep us in the dark about whatever's wrong." Bou-san commented, looking around at his co-workers.

Yasu thought for a moment. "Maybe she got a boyfriend?" He suggested.

Everyone seemed to think about it, trying to figure out if it was plausible. "I guess that would make sense." Ayako agreed.

Just as the words left her mouth she felt the room drop several degrees.

Shivering, they turned to see not only Naru but also Lin standing there. "This is not a coffee shop. I'm sure you can meet up elsewhere." He stated coldly.

John looked at him nervously. "A-ah Kazuya. You wouldn't happen to know anything about Mai's odd actions would you?"

The inquiry was meant to be as innocent as the priest himself but he hadn't actually expected Naru to reply to him. After all, since when did he drop the whole 'I don't care' act?

As if reading their minds he scoffed. "It's affecting her work ethic. She insists that it's merely more homework than usual."

Masako rolled her eyes. "Even an idiot like her should be able to come up with a better excuse then that." She insulted, despite knowing that Mai couldn't hear her.

Suddenly Yasu's eyes lit up and the room felt even colder for some reason. Perhaps it was because not only was Yasu excited, but he had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know big boss, if we went after her now then we could probably catch her before she disappeared. Then we could find out what's really going on."

His proposal was definitely one that made sense, if nothing else. It made so much sense in fact that Naru actually contemplated it for a moment. _'Mai's no good if she's spacing out all the time. She's not getting any work done. But I'm Oliver Davis. I don't need to stoop that low.' _His pride won out and he glared at the other.

"Do not involve me in your ridiculous schemes." He hissed.

Yasu smiled even brighter. "How could you big boss? Surely you're curious, I mean imagine Mai being all lovey dovey with another guy. Or maybe she's gotten herself into trouble. She never did live in the best neighbourhood."

Of course this was speculation but Yasuhara Osamu was nothing if not observant. After all, there were many ways to collect information and the one thing that could not lie is bodily behaviour.

With an irritated sigh Naru grabbed his coat. "Make it quick, some of us actually have work to do." He growled.

Lin simply stood and watched as they slowly filed of the office, Monk at the front of the group, quickly catching sight off her.

"That's not the way to her apartment." Naru mused aloud, effectively grabbing the others attention. They were after her a moment later, following her but doing their best not to be seen. God only knew what she would do it she found out about what they were doing.

As they arrived at the park, Naru, Masako and Lin watched as the other idiots crouched to the ground and acted like this was a mission from some stupid movie.

"Target confirmed." Yasu whispered.

The monk grinned, "Continue following them. Don't let them out of your sight."

A second later they were both hit on the head. "She'll hear you." The redhead warned.

John sweat dropped at them. "Now, now. Let's just see where Mai goes. Wouldn't want her getting into trouble or something right?" He nervously tried to prevent a fight.

Unlike usual it worked and they quickly manoeuvred themselves towards the place in the park where Mai had disappeared. They tried their best not to make noise as they fought with the trees. Ayako grumbled a little and Masako blatantly refused to walk any further into the 'forest'.

Rolling his eyes, Naru ignored them as he spotted Mai. What surprised him the most however, was what she was wearing.

_His Mai_, was wearing an outfit like that in public. Not that anyone was really around right now but that was beside the point. He growled mentally in irritation.

What shocked him the most, was what she was doing. Song after song played from her IPod but no matter what was playing, she seemed to dance perfectly to it. It was brilliant to watch, that much he would admit to himself. Never to the girl though.

"She's amazing." John commented from next to him, shooting the teen with a knowing smile. He ignored it but the priest didn't mind.

He probably didn't even notice judging by the fact that the stupid monk and priestess were now arguing over who thought that she looked better. It was a petty argument and it nearly got them caught as they got slightly louder. Just as Mai's music turned off, he shot them a glare and they shivered at how cold it was.

The fight ended immediately, much to his pleasure.

And then they were off following her again.

~BaCk~To~MaI~

As the last song on her playlist came to an end she sighed and walked over to start some more when an alarm went off. Perfect timing.

Picking up her stuff she frowned. "Hello?" She called out. Was someone else there? Although she hadn't seen anyone nearby that didn't mean that there wasn't anyone around.

Glancing around but seeing no-one she shook her head. Now was no time to be getting paranoid.

Walking out of the clearing she checked around once more just in case but seeing that the area was still clear shrugged it off.

Mai looked both ways before quickly running across the road and turning left down one of the streets. Walking for a little while she turned left once more before taking another right down an alley.

Pulling out a key she opened the door and walked inside a building with loud music.

"Oi!" Someone shouted at her.

Jumping slightly Mai turned to them before letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh it's just you Haru. You scared me!" She scolded with frown.

He smiled. "Sorry, normally the only people who enter through those doors are picking the locks. I noticed it when I was walking by. It's been a while. How have you been?" He asked her, motioning for her to walk with him.

Taking his arm she sighed. "I've been so busy that I can barely fit in some dance practice on occasion. But other than that everything's been great. Nothings really changed since the last time I was here. Enough about me though, what have you been doing? How's Yui?" Mai asked, switching the topics.

It'd been a while since she'd seen Haru but it didn't look like he'd changed too much.

Taking a seat at the bar Haru ordered a beer and a lemon vodka.

Raising a brow at him he simply shrugged.

"Yui's been fine. She misses having you around. You should visit us sometime soon. I'm sure Chiaki would love to have you over." He stated gently.

Mai smiled at him. "It's fine, don't worry so much. I'll visit her the next time I get a chance." The brunette promised.

He smiled. "You plan on dancing tonight? The contest doesn't start until a little later on this time around. They pushed it back for the sake of some big time dancer that's supposed to be competing tonight."

"Big time huh? I'm dancing in the contest tonight for sure but I think I need a warm up before that. Care to point some out?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eye.

He matched her expression. "That one over there has been bragging _all_ night and it's beginning to get on my nerves. He's got some good moves but he's knew to the scene and is really getting on my nerves with all his tough talk. Take him down a notch or two for me would you?"

Mai nodded. "Not a problem." She agreed, downing the last of her drink and standing up. "Wish me luck."

Nodding, Haru watched as the brunette made her way over to a guy standing in a crowd of girls and speaking loudly, his voice echoing throughout the corner of the room irritably.

"Excuse me."

**Shellsan: And so that's the next chapter done!**

**Mai: O_o It's so different to the original…**

**Shellsan: I like it more this way. Next chapter is the first competition… / warm up in this case. I think this follows the original plotline I had in mind more**

**Naru: No-one cares**

**Shellsan: Right, right. Gomen. Please read and review**


	3. Chapter 3

**Shellsan: I don't think I've ever been this quick with an update**

**Naru: Don't get too excited. This is the first and the last time**

**Mai: Naru! Don't be mean! Shellsan doesn't own the anime ghost hunt or it's characters**

**Shellsan: Now you're being mean *sulks***

He looked up and smirked. "Are you here for a piece of me as well? Don't worry, there's plenty to go around." He flirted, winking.

Mai recoiled in disgust before smirking back. "Is that right? For what reason would I have to need a piece of you? What's so great about you that all the other guys in the club don't have?" She inquired trying to keep an innocent look on her face.

At first he was surprised, the confused and finally cocky once more. "I'm the best dancer in this club." He boasted.

Her hands clasped together in excitement and she spun around. "Even better than me?" She questioned with curious eyes.

Once more he was taken aback by her attitude but did his best to restore his former façade.

"You're a dancer?" He scoffed in disbelief. "Of course I'm better than you." He continued.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Glad you think so. Care to back it up?"

His eyes narrowed at her in irritation. Was this girl really challenging him? Did she expect him to try and dance against her in battle? She was a girl! And a small and skinny look one at that.

"I don't accept challenges from the weak." He waved her off, turning back to the giggling girl that were surrounding her.

Crossing her arms, Mai gave him an annoyed look before smiling. "Too bad, I guess you just can't cut it. After all a true dancer wouldn't turn down a challenge no matter who it's from. I guess my buddies and I were putting too much faith in you." She let out a fake sigh.

His eyes widened and he glanced over at where the brunette was pointing.

Noticing the eyes on them, Haru and some of the other guys waved at him.

Once more, the guy turned to face Mai. "If you're going to put it like that then I guess I really shouldn't turn you down huh? Would be a shame if your buddies over there couldn't see you get your ass handed to you in a battle." He decided confidently.

This would be an easy enough battle and it would probably get him even more fans which would be good for future dance competitions.

"Same to you. I hope you won't cry when I beat you." Mai commented as the dance floor began to clear so that Mai and the new guy could battle.

The loud speakers crackled as the music that had been previously playing stopped and the DJ began to advertise the contest.

"Ladies and gents do we have a treat for you all tonight! A dance battle before the competition between our very own Miss Mai Taniyama, long standing dance champion and most wanted single-"The young girl flushed slightly at his choice of words but didn't let it affect her confidence. If she wavered then that could spell her defeat – something she didn't plan one having anytime soon, least of all to this idiot. "And an up and coming dance star Mr Renji Tsukasa!"

Everyone roared in excitement as they eyed the two of them with interest. Mai was a well-known dancer in this club, something that the so called Renji was beginning to figure out and Renji was still knew to the scene.

Cheering for the both of them were clear but whispers of how Renji would lose no matter what had him on edge, but more irritated then anything. Who did they think he was? Did they think he was some stupid easy to beat fool? Don't undermine him damn it.

Haru walked over from the bar with a coin in hand and he smiled at them both. "Renji calls. Heads of tails?" He asks, flicking the coin into the air.

Making a split second decision, the guy watched the coin fall and smirked. "Heads."

Lifting his hand, Haru nodded at him. "Head's calls." He announced loudly.

The DJ grinned. "So what will it be? Are you first up or waiting to see how Mai does?" He asks, enticing more cries of excitement from the crowd.

"I'll go first. Harder, better, faster, stronger." He requested.

With another nod, the music began to play loudly. Mai backed up a little to give him some more room to work with, after all it wasn't doing her any favours at the moment.

Waiting for the perfect moment he made a few slow, precise movements to the beginning of the song, increasing the speed to match with the tempo of the song. His moves began to change, twisting at all the right moments before dropping to the ground and lifting himself into handstand and flipping over.

The crowd cheered and Mai watched him carefully as he free-styled to the dance. Twist, drop, flip, sidestep, drop, up, repeat.

Her fists became sweaty and she began to get irritated as he continued the same sequence, changing it up every now and then.

Stepping closer, she waited for the next moment he stopped before mirroring him. At first he was surprised but then he became irritated. When he twisted, so did she and when he dropped so did she.

"Too easy." She insisted, motioning for him to back it up. "If that's all you've got then you should reconsider the completion tonight because that won't cut it."

He growled. "You can't beat me."

Mai smirked but otherwise ignored that comment. Turning to the DJ she motioned for him to off that song in favour of hers. "I'm not here for your entertainment please." She requested with a smile.

He smiled back and the music soon began to play.

Cheers erupted once more around them and Mai wasted no time in working with the pace of the song. Instead of focusing on fancy footwork, she forced her entire body into her movements, making them more fluent but unpredictable. Her arms pumped as her feet twisted around and she dropped back into a bridge and flicked into a handstand with ease before pushing down on the ground and landing on her feet once more.

The noise around her was almost unbearable as Mai managed to pull of a few more difficult moves and some easier once before waving to the DJ to cut it.

"That's how we pro's do things." She told him with a smug look, crossing her arms.

"Well then everyone I think it's clear who the winner is – although was there ever a doubt in your minds? Give it up for Miss Mai Taniyama!" He screamed over the loudspeakers.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Mai tried not to act rude as she made her way to her seat over by the bar and promptly fell into it.

"One lemon vodka." She ordered, ignoring the music as it began to play once more and the club went back into full swing.

~WiThEvErYoNeElSeZ~

The group had been surprised when they had managed to follow Mai to the run down looking building. They were even more shocked to see her open the door. Someone seemed to greet her there before talking for a moment and walking inside.

Luckily for them it seemed that the man had noticed their presence and actively made an effort to leave the door slightly open for them.

Peeking through Bou-san waited until they were almost out of sight before following after them, the others following after him with ease.

The further into the room they got, the louder the sound of music and the more prominent the smell of alcohol became.

"Is this a club?" Yasu whispered finally, voicing everyone's thoughts.

Seeing as Mai seemed quite content in her seat over at the bar they hid to the side, blending in to the best of their ability – which wasn't very well – just in case they got caught.

"Obviously. A better question to ask would be as to _why_ Mai is in a club." Naru stated, shooting the other teen an irritated look.

Ignoring it, he turned to Bou-san. "What do you think my love?" He asked teasingly.

"I think that if we watch for long enough we'll find out soon." Ayako commented, cutting the monk without effort as she pointed towards Mai and some stranger.

Naru could feel anger boil under his skin as he watched them interact. It didn't seem as if she was worried or interested in this boys advances but that did nothing to quell his jealousy. _'Wait, jealousy? Since when do I get jealous? This is simply worry for my assistant_' He tried to convince himself.

A nagging voice in the back of his head counteracted everything he had decided on but he ignored it in favour of watching the scene play out in front of them.

"Is she… challenging him?" John asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable in the unfamiliar place.

Masako scoffed from where she was standing, her kimono over her mouth. "It certainly seems that way. He seems to have denied her and caused her anger." She voiced.

They watched closely as Mai and the guy walked over to the dance floor and separated. The DJ quickly confirmed their thoughts and opinions and within minutes the battle had begun.

From their point of view the guy Mai was battling was pretty cool and they were enjoying the act until Mai joined in.

Naru watched the every movement she made, slight or otherwise. There was no doubt who the better dancer was, a fact that was announced not even five minutes later.

Before he could stop himself, Naru was walking towards where Mai was taking her seat and ordering _alcohol_ to drink.

He ignored the calls of the rest of his group as he stopped beside her while she sat, unaware of her surroundings.

"Mai."

**Shellsan: And so there you have it**

**Mai: The dance scenes are a little vague**

**Shellsan: Eheh… I did my best so you'll just have to bear with me on this one**

**John: Shellsan hopes you enjoyed**

**Masako: Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shellsan: Omg, it's been so long. I don't know if any of you even read this anymore but here is the update anyways. I'm doing 7 days of updates for the New Year on various websites since there are some that can only be found on my AO3 or quotev and vice versa. Please enjoy.**

**Counter: Day 3**

Whipping around, Mai's eyes widened when she spotted Naru standing right in front of her. She took a moment to realise that the others were also standing nearby in a useless attempt to hide.

Taking a long sip of her drink, she did her best to conceal her unease at their presence.

"Yes, Naru?" She acknowledged through gritted teeth.

The music was still playing loudly and it was hard to speak over the noise. With a quick glance at Haru who was attempting to look innocent, she motioned for them to follow her.

Not waiting for a reply, she began to weave through the crowd to what appeared to be one of the more private rooms of the club.

A couple men were standing outside but immediately moved aside when they noticed Mai.

Opening the door, Mai stood to the side while everyone filed inside, eager to find out exactly what was going on.

Bou-san and Naru were fuming, Masako and Ayako irritated, John confused and Lin – well she wasn't sure what the taller man was thinking – not that she ever was.

As the door clicked shut behind them, the music was finally blocked out and the brunette could hear herself think once more.

The room was tense as silence filled it, seemingly suffocating the inhabitants of the area.

John was the first to break it. "What are you doing in a club, Mai?" He asked, attempting to sound kind even though he was unsure and a little mad as well.

Rubbing her temples, the brunette tried to think of a way to answer that question. How was she supposed to explain something like this to them? It's not as if they could understand any of it.

When Mai failed to reply, Ayako's face began to turn red in irritation. "Well Mai? What do you have to say for yourself? What are you doing in a club, and drinking no less?!" She demanded, raising her voice.

Mai bit back her anger and dark thoughts of how they didn't understand. Leaning against the wall she contemplated the best way to inform them of her situation.

Silence consumed them again for a few moments before she spoke up. "I'm relaxing."

"What do you mean relaxing!?" Bou-san shouted in anger, "This is not how someone your age should be relaxing. It's illegal for you to even enter a club, but the fact that you're drinking is even worse. I didn't take you for someone who could be this irresponsible. I don't even know how I can express how disappointed in you I am."

The words he said cut Mai deep, but angered her even more. Disappointed? Irresponsible? What right did they have? Sure, she loved them. They were her family. She could never care for anyone more than she did for them. But that didn't mean she could forgive something like that. They knew only a few things about her, what right did they have to judge her? And why were they even here? There was no way that they had just "come across her on accident" or anything along those lines. It wasn't possible. Not to mention how they got inside when Naru and Masako were also underage.

Taking deep breaths, Mai tried to dispel the thoughts she was having. She shouldn't – couldn't- think of her family like that. It wasn't right.

Even knowing this, her fist clenched with fury at the judgements that had been forced upon her. Why did they make assumptions about her so quickly? Questions were overwhelming and she felt as though she might explode at any minute.

This might have been apparent on her face but it didn't stop Ayako from shouting at her when there was a lack of response once more.

That was the last straw.

No matter how much she loved them and wanted to stop herself, they had gone way too far to stop her now.

Her face was shadowed as she looked at the ground. "Irresponsible huh. Is that what I really am? Is that how you see me? Even though you know of my troubles? Even though you know that I'm an orphan? Do you honestly believe I was a good kid after my mother passed away? That I wasn't upset and rebellious? Don't make me laugh. Before I started high school I was a huge trouble maker. I constantly ran away from my caretakers and caused trouble for others. But one day I finally found something that I could do that released my stress and that made me feel better. A coping method that was agreeable to even the police - provided I didn't start any fights. That was dancing. And just because dancing is a different method of coping then what you would use, it gives you the right to judge it?"

Ayako's mouth practically hung open in shock at the outburst. Everything silenced and you could cut the air with a butter knife it was that thick.

"What about the alcohol?"

Turning around, Mai narrowed her eyes at Naru. "How do you know I was drinking alcohol?" She shot back.

He frowned at here reaction. "I heard you, we all did. I'll ask again, what about the alcohol?"

Mai bit her lip. "I'm immune." She replied finally.

Blinking owlishly, John tilted his head. "Immune as in it doesn't affect you?"

His voice was unsure and Mai had to smile slightly. "Yeah. When my mother was pregnant with me she was an alcoholic. When I was born, unlike most children who are born addicted, I found I wasn't affected by it. I figured it out when I went partying with my friends in middle school but didn't end up drunk." She explained.

Everything was quiet again before Naru spoke up.

"Why are you here right now though? Something about a competition?

Like flicking a switch, Mai's face brightened even more. "It's a dance contest they hold at this club every year. It's a huge night and I hold the current title as best dancer, and have for the past three years. I'm here to participate tonight."

She sounded s o proud as she said it that even Masako couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of happiness for the brunette.

Of course, Naru isn't so easy though.

"That may be so, but it's still illegal for you to be drinking. If the police found out you'd be in a lot of trouble." He warned.

Mentally he was wondering what Mai was thinking, still doing something like this. She was severely hurting any chances at getting a good job in future – provided she no longer wanted to work for him. Having something like this on record would bring all kinds of trouble.

Tilting her head, Mai huffed. "That's not a problem. They already know. I have a special allowance provided that I stay out of trouble. It was a deal between my current land lady and the police chief to keep me and the people around me safe. He's here right now, watching me closely to make sure I don't do anything reckless or stupid."

Stupid Naru, thinking she'd still be drinking if that was possible. What did he think she was?

"Even if that's true, I still don't like it." Bou-san commented.

Ayako nodded. "For once I agree. I can't accept this as a way of relaxing. It's too dangerous for you to be in a place like this."

Wincing, Mai sighed. After all her anger had dissipated, she found that she was depressed instead. The people she was close to didn't understand her like she thought they did. "Even so, at least watch me compete before you go making decisions about what's good for me and what's not." She pleaded.

Frowning, Ayako didn't reply, already being cut off by Masako. "I don't see why not. It would be a pleasure to watch you fall on your face." She mocked.

"Why you-" Mai growled, shaking a fist at her angrily.

Bou-san let out a breath. "Alright. We'll discuss this more after your so called contest." He gave in reluctantly.

Turning to him, Mai grinned. "Great. Now that that's settled, I'll introduce you to everyone."

Ayako watched after her cautiously, still feeling dubious about everything.

Ignoring the eyes she could feel on her back, she made her way out of the private room again and over to the bar, fully expecting the others to follow. They did of course.

Taking a seat once more, she motioned towards the bartender. "This is Takashi. As well as being a great mixologist, he is also a former participant of the annual dance competitions and a judge himself." She introduced.

The others just nodded towards him in acceptance.

Sighing, it was clear to Mai that it wouldn't be as easy as she'd hoped after all. It was going to take a while before they accept that this is her hobby and way to relax.

Just as she was settling into her seat, Haru came over with a smile. "You'd better go and warm up a little more before they start calling the first round." He suggested.

Mai looked at the others – a little worried, before she finally nodded her consent.

"Alright you know where to find me…" She trailed off before moving towards the back of the club once more.

Watching her walk away, Haru sighed and turned to look at the people she was calling her family now days.

"I'm not sure how much Mai has told you all, but I'm Haru. As well ask being the security guard here, my job is also to keep an eye on Mai whenever she's on the premises. I know you all must be having a hard time accepting everything that's happened so I won't push too much. But I think that you should know that the police didn't agree to this on a limb. Mai's smart and if she really wants something, she knows how to get it."

Naru understood what this Haru was saying – how could he not. But it wasn't as simple as just accepting what he had learnt. There was the fact that she was unnecessarily drinking alcohol and that the place she chose to dance of all places – was a club. There were so many other options.

Seeing the man's confusion, Haru smiled slightly. "You know, back when I first met Mai, she was very different to how she is now. Her parents had just died and the orphanage she was in was nothing but problem after problem. It made it very difficult for her to heal. She started acting up in an attempt to get people to pay attention to her. Not for the sake of herself, but for the other kids in the orphanage with her. It was a struggle and she couldn't quite figure out how to get people to listen. Then one day, she was kicked out onto the streets for protecting some of the younger kids. Back then she was still fairly young herself. She didn't know what to do so she just walked. And walked. And walked. Eventually she collapsed outside of the club and Takashi found her."

Biting his lip, he looked down – ashamed. "He took her in for a few days, helped her back on her feet. During that time, Takashi was still a club dancer. She saw him and he agreed to teach her. This club is a symbol of the first safe place she has after her parents died and if you can't understand that – then you have no right to call yourselves her family.


End file.
